How to save $1 on every coffee you buy [Review]

Square Cash is the world’s best coffee loyalty program — and it’s time you knew about it.

The Square Cash Coffee Reward program has been the highlight of my last six months. You can either take that as an indictment of my quality of life, or a resounding recommendation for this coffee cash-back program.

Every time I pay for a coffee, I know that whatever total the barista tells me, I will actually fork over $1 less than that. If this doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, let me frame it in other ways:

A fan of plain black coffee? You will save close to 50 percent on each cup you buy.

A fan of expensive lattes, causing your significant other to complain about your exorbitant tastes? Those tastes become slightly less excessive!

A fan of having a significant other, but still painfully single? Now you can buy a drink for every cute person you meet in a coffee shop without breaking the bank.

Let’s quickly break down the app and how it will let you save money on coffee.

What is the Square Cash app?

It’s easy to save over half on a $2 coffee.Screenshot: Gabe Trumbo/Cult of Mac

Square, primarily known for its white, point-of-sale systems that have become synonymous with small business in the United States, has also offered a peer-to-peer payment system similar to Venmo since 2013. Square’s sleek Cash app is more intuitive to use than Venmo’s, but without the social component. (Personally, I love that I no longer need to spend two minutes figuring out which emoji to use each time I send a payment.)

How do you save $1 on coffee?

About a year ago, Square launched slick-looking, all-black debit cards that link directly to your Cash app account balance. You can use them anywhere in the United States just like a normal debit card. You even get to have your signature, or goofy drawing, or really anything you want etched into the front of your card. (I spent three hours trying to decide on the wittiest thing I could possibly fit on the front of the card before ultimately just scribbling my signature and moving on.)

Part of the Cash app’s launch program, which is ongoing, is offering $1 back at coffee shops. This includes everything from Starbucks to your local cafe. The dollar off isn’t actually for coffee, but for coffee shops in general.

Bad news: If you buy a coffee from anywhere that doesn’t primarily serve coffee, you won’t save a dollar.

Good news: If you buy a breakfast sandwich or pastry from a coffee shop, you’ll still save a dollar, even though it isn’t actually a coffee.

Why would Square be this nice? What’s the catch?

I assume it has something to do with Square founder/CEO Jack Dorsey’s evil plan to take over the world and control all of our money. We begin using the Cash card every time we buy a daily necessity; this causes us to always have the card on us. And before we know it, we are using Square’s card (or app) for the majority of our daily purchases.

By the time Square ends the Cash App Coffee Reward promotion, we will be primed to continue using Square Cash. And Square harvests all the data about our spending habits.

Is this kind of extortion and abuse worth saving $1 on a coffee? Yes, absolutely.

How do I get started with Square Cash App Coffee Reward program?

Square’s Cash app can earn your rewards. Screenshot: Cash.me

If you don’t have the Cash app yet you can download it and sign up here. It asks for debit card information to link your account, but no bank account or other personal identification is needed.

Once you have an account, you can request a card from within the app. Simply design whatever you want on the card straight from your phone. Then, your card will arrive within a few days.

It’s just that easy. You’ll be ready to start your own journey on this incredible adventure of universally discounted coffees. (They’re actually not “universally” discounted, as the Square Card is currently only available in the United States.)

Do you already use the Cash card? Am I too excited about a $1 savings on every coffee? Let us know below!